Author Ambalika

"I had always been Ashima B. Brendon, daughter of Mr. James Brendon who in turn was the older son of Jane and Chris Brendon who had travelled all the way from Tilbury in England by ship through Gibraltar, Marseilles, Port Said before reaching Mumbai and then took the train to Calcutta and later Jorhat, to take up the superintendence of the Duroni Tea Estate. Of the unexpanded ‘B’ in my name, I did not pay much attention to. I had lived my life without knowing it. It was enough for me that I was the offspring of a ‘firang’ father and ‘desi’ mother.

But then one day, my aunt told me about a letter my father’s lost-somewhere-long-in-the-lines cousin had left for me to be delivered after he had died. When she sent it to me, I found it had another letter inside it.

This letter changed everything I knew and suspected about myself and my life.
Not to mention, it started me on a journey I had never even thought I would have to take on.

The story of my life- A Letter For Gigglepot- is now FREE to download and read till 18 July.

www.amazon.in/Letter-Gigglepot-ambalika-ebook/dp/B…

regards,
Ashima"

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1 week ago | [YT] | 0

Author Ambalika

#NetajiWeek And that's a wrap!
Many thanks to everyone who joined in the celebration by reading and sharing to mark the occasion. 🙏🏽💐✨

Today, these events are not officially observed. Not good. These need to be told every year because otherwise they are nowhere else to be found. If Netajians don't talk about it, then the field will be left open to anti-Netajians to deny these ever happened or they will showcase it in poor light.

How will future generations of Indians know? How will even the present school going indian know?

The key to who we are as Indians, how and why lies in understanding India during WW2. Without that, we cannot claim to know ourselves as Indians- had not our revolutionaries, especially the Ghadrites not persevered bypassing even death, there would have been no transfer of power in 1947!

Hopefully one day, the central government will take cognizance of this and make it's celebration mandatory as it once was.

Until then it's going to be you, me and our collective efforts.
See you in the next Netaji Week, then !

Jai Hind.
Vande Mataram 🇮🇳

pic courtesy: screen grab from Films Division

1 week ago | [YT] | 0

Author Ambalika

So lovely of Reviews And Ratings.com to support the book during its promotion period 🙏😊 Truly appreciate this unexpected kind gesture 😊
For those who want to purchase, here's the link:
www.amazon.in/Joy-Being-Jay-Ambalika/dp/9388942256

1 week ago | [YT] | 0

Author Ambalika

#NetajiWeek 9th July, 1943 At a gathering of Indians at Singapore, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose delivered his ' Why I Left Home and My Homeland '. In this speech, he outlined clearly and persuasively the roadmap that would help India expel the British and why the best time to do so was right away.

He called for Total War Mobilization,which meant it wasn't just going to be about two armies fighting each other. It was a call to build a strong India in parallel while the army fought. This needed men and women, material and money to run a provisional government of Free India that would be responsible for setting up the machinery that is required to run a country.

Never before had the Indians present there heard an Indian leader present to them the possibility of such an India. They were left awestruck at how they now had the power to do so much. It was simply unbelievable!

Until the AHF's surrender in 1945, Netaji used every possible opportunity to keep up the momentum of this call. Here's a sample of how impactful these calls were:

👮🏽At the end of the speech which was given in Hindustani, it was translated into Tamil for the benefit of the 18,000 ( approx) tamilians present .After they heard the speech, they joined the Azad Hind Fauj en mass.

👮🏽Sindhi traders with absolutely no history of ever being on a battlefield, shut shop handing over their property to Netaji and joined the INA.

👮🏽The membership of the Indian Independence League soared to 3.5 lakhs and the strength of INA rose from 12,000 to 60,000! ( Approx)

#HistoryMakers

1 week ago | [YT] | 1

Author Ambalika

Hiya! 🤓The Kindle and ebook version of 'The Joy of Being Jay' is absolutely FREE for till 12 July. 🤩
So if a light hearted story about four Indian youngsters unwittingly caught in a murder mystery in a jungle resort sounds like something you'd like to read wrapped cozily while the scanty monsoon rain patters down the roof, please do download it right away.🙂

Also if you are itching to discover a new book to review, then, most definitely please put this book in line.😌

Or maybe you know someone who could do with some dark humour in their life? In which case, please do share the link with them so they can have a go! 🙏

You can maybe postpone the reading and/or reviewing and / or rating till winters come but atleast get the book lest you end up saying 'What cheek, man!' like our protagonist Jay Rastogi.🥲🥹
www.amazon.in/Joy-Being-Jay-Ambalika/dp/9388942256

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1 week ago | [YT] | 1

Author Ambalika

#NetajiWeek On 8 th July 1943, nothing happened but on 8th July, 1945 Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose laid the foundation for the Azad Hind Fauj memorial at the Esplanade Park, Singapore.

By then, the Fauj had spectacularly triumphed at Moirang Kangla ( present day Manipur) where Col Shaukat Ali Mallick hoisted the Azad Hind Fauj's tricolour flag on 14th April , 1944 making it the first region to be liberated from the British rule. By late 1944 though, owing to reverses suffered by the Imperial Japanese Army on the battlefields at Kohima -Imphal, they were withdrawing.

Lt. Col Cyril J. Stracey ( in picture), an Anglo Indian officer of the AHF designed and built it after Netaji approved one of the three designs he submitted.

The final memorial was constructed at a record speed of 3 weeks , just before the Allied forces arrived in their quest to retake Singapore. The pillars read- Itihad ( Unity), Itmad ( Faith), Qurbani ( Sacrifice).

Here's what Netaji said on the inauguration of the memorial:

“The future generations of Indians who will be born, not as slaves but as free men, because of your colossal sacrifice, will bless your names and proudly proclaim to the world that you, their forbears, fought and suffered reverses in the battle of Manipur, Assam and Burma.But through temporary failure you paved the way to ultimate success and glory.”

He's talking about you and me. 🙏🏽💐✨

Stracey was the first AHF officer to be captured by the Allied forces while Netaji was pushed into oblivion.

On 6th September, 1945 at the orders of Viceroy Lord Louis Mountbatten ( King Charles's great uncle) at 6 pm, the 17th Dogra Regiment dynamited the memorial.

If he thought this was going to demoralise the AHF soldiers, it didn't. Those present screamed, "Just like you have blown our memorial, you will also be blown up like this". As is seen from the photo, Indians continued to visit the ruins at night despite being forbidden and took away pieces as souvenirs.

The words came true on 27th August, 1979, when the Irish Republican Army -great admirers and supports of Netaji & the AHF who recognised Azad Hind Sarkar/ Provisional Govt of Free India- assassinated him using bombs planted on his fishing boat. The boat went up in 'flashes of red, green and then there was a mushroom cloud' ( Sounds eerily familiar, eh?)
Hours later, in two separate bomb attacks, 18 British soldiers were killed. This remains the worst incident in the history of modern Britain.

What to do- Karma is for real.

The memorial was rebuilt at Moirang Kangla in 1969 while a WW2 history marker was set up at the Esplanade Park by the Singapore govt in 1995, as they regard it as an important event of their country's history. The marker is like a book that reads the full story of the INA. ( They mispelt 'Itihad' as 'Ittefaq' which means coincidence 😬)

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1

Author Ambalika

#NetajiWeek Nothing remarkable happened #OTD in 1943. 😀 Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was in office of the Indian Independence League and held meetings with the Azad Hind Fauj.
Yet, something heartfelt did happen.

Circa to this date, a young doctor, Lt Col Dr Binoy Kumar Nandy, a student of Lt Col Dr A.C Chatterjee, who had followed him to joining the Indian National Army and continued into the Azad Hind Fauj, met Netaji. ( At that time, junior to Dr Chatterjee)

To celebrate the occasion of Netaji giving the 'Chalo Delhi' slogan, Dr Nandy had himself prepared rasgulla and had arrived to personally feed them to Netaji.
The wish was fulfilled 🥲

As you can infer from his photo, Dr Nandy was a meticulous man and a man of strength and a willpower that's strong but quiet. He suffered the challenges of the battlefield all the way upto his trial and imprisonment at the Red Fort. After that, he faced the trials of life with the forced stigma of being a soldier of the Azad Hind Fauj 💔
Yet, he carried on serving people.

Those who knew him, respected , loved and remembered him as a kind hearted man, a true patriot who was a living proof of Netaji's ideals. 💐🙏🏻
...and yes, Netaji found the rasgullas delicious ☺️

As shared by @Dr Sekhar Seth, nephew of Dr Nandy.
Pic courtesy: Dr Seth & Mr Prasun Chaudhari, The Telegraph.

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1

Author Ambalika

#NetajiWeek #BirthAnniversary On 6th July, 1943 the Japanese premier and War Minister, General Hideki Tojo ( with white gloves on) along with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose took the salute of the Azad Hind Fauj atvthe grounds of the Singapore Municipal Building.
Tojo had arrived the day before for a conference with Field Marshal Count
Hisaichi Terauchi, supreme commander of the Japanese forces in the southern area, to inspect actual conditions in the region. ( Greater East Asia region)

Tojo was also present during the Chalo Dilli speech at the Padang. It moved him very deeply and afterwards during his own speech, reiterated that Japan had no territorial ambitions in India and that Japan was fully committed to helping India in her fight for independence.

In Japan, there exists a mixed opinion about Tojo. However, there is unanimity regarding his sincere contribution towards the cause of Indian independence.

BONUS: One of the soldiers who took part in the parade was Havildar Clerk, S. Lorat Singh from the Khasi hills of present day Meghalaya who was also celebrating his birthday!
#Itihaad #Itmad #Qurbani

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 0

Author Ambalika

#NetajiWeek : 4th July , 1943 #OTD at the Cathay Theatre, Singapore Rash Behari Bose, India' s greatest revolutionary ever & founder of the Indian Independence League, handed over the leadership reigns to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose who had arrived from Germany via Japan travelling on a submarine, evading great dangers under sea as the vehicle navigated war waters.

Netaji's welcome reception at Singapore wa held on 2/3 rd July where he is was received by INA/ AHF top brass Mhmd Zaman Kiani & J. K Bhonsle alongside members of the Indian Independence League and a guard of honour by the INA ( Indian National Army/ Azad Hind Fauj) soldiers.

Rash Behari Bose, who had been away at Tokyo from Singapore for some months earlier, told the audience at the Cathay Theatre, " Today someone asked me what present I brought for you from Tokyo . Well, I brought this present for you" as he pointed to Netaji. ✨

The audience erupted in shouts of "Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose ki Jai!"

Bose Sr described him as "the best, noblest, the most daring, and the most dynamic in the youth of India"

Netaji then addressed the gathering speaking in Hindustani, expressing his gratitude to all at being chosen to lead the independence struggle and making it clear that he is accepting it in full humility.

He prayed that God/ Khuda bestows understanding, wisdom, courage and enthusiasm to all joining in. Then he talked about the victorious day when they will March to Delhi to hoist the Indian flag at the Lal Qila ( Red Fort)

Netaji also warned that on this path there is only going to be hunger, thirst and deprivation and none will know if they will live it through but that should not deter anyone as ultimately what matters is that it would be for the birth of a free India.

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 0

Author Ambalika

Frankly, you can give me a miss as an author.
But there's something coming up starting next week! So maybe you want to keep an 👀 on my books, umm??
*****
I have finally come to the point where I cannot deny, hide and run away from the truth that becoming a published author has been the only face saving achievement I have had till now in the first half of my lifetime in this incarnation, whether I like it or not.
And I sort of like it and don't.

I don't like it because it doesn't let me respond to:
- "You must be earning in lakhs"
-"How many lakhs of copies have you sold world wide"
- "Why don't we hear more of you, if you are an author"

I like it because it's the reason:
- I am alive and sane today
- I know I have great strength to create even when the going is g.o.n.e
- I can turn pain, rejection, isolation and abandonment into worlds where humour, harmony, togetherness and thoughtfulness rule
- I can create completion while being fragmented myself
- I have no illusions about the Indian publishing eco system

I wrote You Adored Me Ignored, while trying to ward off suicidal tendencies.
I wrote The Joy of Being Jay while overcoming workplace harassment.
I wrote A Letter For Gigglepot while trying to piece together my disintegrated life.
I wrote The Great Tribal Warriors of Bharat while undergoing therapy for adverse childhood experiences, getting certified in psychotherapy and coaching, self isolating during the COVID pandemic and serving notice period in an extremely hostile work team.

I did it all while holding full time jobs that sucked my blood and brain and also managing my own household - cook, sweep, mop, do laundry, toilet cleaning, grocery shopping- and I am so proud of myself for that. Add to that the Indian publishing eco system where money and social standing rules over talent and every one wants to make money out of the author without caring for the author and the book.

Under these circumstances, to be able to produce complete works of fiction and non fiction and see them listed on e-commerce websites in itself has been an achievement for me.
Everything else -sale, review, publicity- has been a bonus.

I look at this time as a learning phase, not the real deal. After all,it happened during Rahu MD 😆 🤣

The real deal is going to start NOW.😎

That's why after much self persuasion, I have come to the conclusion that it is finally high time to re-introduce myself but this time through my writing work.

FOLLOW My Amazon Page: www.amazon.com/author/ambalikarayan

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 0